KARACHI: the very first time in the history of Pakistan, wild animals officials will take back the possession of 180 repossesed black pond turtles in an international ceremony to take place on the Pakistan-China border on August 18.

The turtles which were being unlawfully transferred to China were seized by Chinese authorities about a month ago. The officials also detained the 4 smugglers, including 2 Pakistani nationals.

Countless Pakistani species are being transferred to other countries and it's for the very first time that a neighbouring country has contacted officials to hand throughout the animals.

The origin of the wild turtles is in Sindh and wildlife authorities say the turtles were caught from the Indus River. They would be revealed in the Indus River near Sukkur right after their arrival in the province. The black pond turtles are classified as “vulnerable – high risk of endangerment in the wild” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).